Tuesday, July 10, 2012

As the August 7, 2012 release date for David Archuleta's new album, BEGIN., quickly approaches, we have been treated to little snippets of the phenomenal vocals David delivers on this latest undertaking. Tackling covers of some of the greatest songs of all time is no easy feat, that is unless you are David Archuleta. Even though each of these little morsels are only 20 seconds or so in length, it is quite evident David has once again put his heart and soul into each of these songs presented to us. I for one can not wait to hear the album in its entirity; to experience David's luscious velvet vocals as he presents songs other artists only dream they could do justice to.

All of this excitement over and anticipation of this new album has triggered my creative side again. My latest writing endeavor is in honor of David's immense heart and talent. I have combined BEGIN. and the titles of the tracklist selections to create this composition. I hope you enjoy it.

Margy

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Image from my church bulletin this past week

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BEGIN.

A New Journey

BEGIN. a new journey today. Don’t worry about the ugliness of the past; it is gone. Today is a new day. Today we can appreciate the wonderful world surrounding us. We just need to look at the trees and the flowers and the animals and all the wonders God has given us. If we take it all in and look at the details, we can fully value the magnificence of each one of God’s special creations. We must start experiencing the goodness of the world and make our lives, and the lives of those around us, more BEAUTIFUL.

BEGIN. to be a part of the world again. Sometimes we try to hide from the world, in a secret place, SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW, but this is not usually productive. Hiding from the world won’t make things better. We need to face our problems head on to find the right solution. We must live in this world and be a part of this world.

BEGIN. each new challenge with an “I can do it” attitude. Even though the challenge might be great, DON’T GIVE UP without giving it a good fight. Sometimes a little perseverance is all we need to overcome an obstacle. And who knows, we might just find out that the whole thing wasn’t as bad as we first thought.

BEGIN. to pick up the pieces of a BROKEN life. Determine what we need to do to put everything back together. Sometimes glue might work, but other times we might need to start from scratch. When we finally see our life as a complete picture again, we will be equipped to help others pick up their own pieces. And, as we help others mend their breaks, we will also strengthen our own beings.

BEGIN. to care for mankind. We should try to be there when someone needs us. Once we realize EVERYBODY HURTS from time to time, we’re on our way to finding a way to help others overcome their pain. We must prove to them they don’t have to deal with their hurts alone. Pain is easier to handle when it is shared by others.

BEGIN. righting the wrongs seen in the world each day. We should take the time to care for someone or something other than ourselves. We can be an earthly ANGEL ready to stand up and help those in need. If we ask God what we can do to help other people in our world who are less fortunate, we might be surprised by His answer. Any of us can be a friend to the friendless or an anchor in a storm. Even a simple smile might be the cure for someone’s awful day.

BEGIN. to reach out to those trapped in the chaos of life. We can be the BRIDGE OVERTROUBLED WATER, rising higher than the turbulence pulling others down into the dark murky waters. Be prepared to throw out a life-line if someone starts to loose their hold. We can be the strong structure keeping others out of the bubbling insanity called life.

BEGIN. to consider how others feel. It’s alright to be concerned about ourselves some of the time, but PRIDE can do us more harm than good, if we’re not careful. Be humble and remember everything we have has been given to us by our Father in Heaven, IN THE NAME OF LOVE, and it can all be taken away from us again if we are not appreciative.

BEGIN. to look at the world through the eyes of others. Try to see what they see. Don’t judge someone negatively just because they are different than us or see things differently. If we give everyone a chance to let their TRUE COLORS shine through, we just might find the world can be a more beautiful place; a place bursting with vibrant, happy colors. Our Earth might just turn out to be a paradise, like God intended it to be.

BEGIN. each day with God. We need to make it a habit to spend time with Him every day. We must put down all of our worldly distractions and say “BE STILL MY SOUL, I want to hear what God has to say to me today.” As we ask Him for help with all we have to do, we should also thank Him for all he does for us each day. We should take time to read His words and learn from them, so we can be the very best we can be, every day. Then we can start to change our lives. But first, we must… BEGIN.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

As an avid fan of David Archuleta since his appearances on my television set during Season 7 of American Idol, I have written several blog posts trying to describe David. I’ve written poems and stories and articles about this fascinating young man, each time searching for just the right words to paint a picture worthy of carrying his name. This is not an easy task, for this young man is very special and not easily described in a few words. His talent is immense, but his heart is even greater. This was proven when he announced he would put his music career on hold and serve a fulltime mission for the LDS church. While I am not a Mormon, I still appreciate the fact that he feels strongly enough about the importance of serving God and his church that he would give up all the glitz and glamour and money for two years (and maybe more) to spread the word of God. That takes a very special person.

To commemorate the 100th day of David’s two years of service which falls on July 6, 2012, I have made a type of acrostic poem listing 100 words in the English language that can be used to describe David Archuleta, or should I say Elder Archuleta. Really, these words only scratch the surface when it comes describing to this young man, but at least I tried

So, there you have it; 100 words describing a very special young man who has impacted so many lives in his short time on this earth. All of these are very good words, but there is one in particular that sums them all up for me the best and that word is simiply… DAVID.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

With all of the excitement in the ArchuFanbase today, thinking about possible snippets of songs from BEGIN. and David's upcoming participation in the Devotional Music program for his mission in Chile, I almost forgot that today is the anniversay of my family attending the David /Demi tour stop in Houston on July 3, 2009. This was epic because this was the only time my husband and son have attended a David concert with my daughter, Amanda, and I. I wish it had been a full David headline show, but that hasn't happened much here in Texas so we have to take what we can get.

copyright Margy Moore

The thing that made this show extra special for me besides my family being there, was that this is the show where my husband took an awesome photo of David that was used in Chords of Strength. Scott is a live music photographer here in Austin, but didn't get credentials to shoot the show in Houston. He just borrowed my non-professional camera and grabbed a few shots for me from up in the arena. Several came out great.

copyright Limelight Imaging/ Scott Moore

copyright LimelightImaging/ Scott Moore

copyright LimelightImaging/ Scott Moore

For some resason, I have never written about our concert experience that day on this blog. I don't know why. It was wonderful. Short, but wonderful. We turned the trip to Houston into a family vacation and also visited Galveston Island while we were in the area. Although we did not have an opportunity to attend the show, David Cook was performing at the Moody Gardens (Galveston) on July 4 while we were there. The funniest thing happened. As we leaving the beach, one of those ad-planes flew over advertising the show that night, but they had David Cook's name misspelled. It read: Tonight at Moody Gardens - DAVID COOOK!!! I so wish we had a camera handy for that.